Syracuse University football wide receiver Jarrod West gets the morning practice off to rest

Frank Ordoñez / The Post-StandardSyracuse University football wide receiver Jarrod West was a healthy scratch from today's morning practice.

Syracuse, NY -- The Syracuse University football team practiced in full equipment this morning with a depleted wide receiver corps. Sophomore Kyle Foster was lost for the year in spring ball with a lower-body injury. Senior Alec Lemon, the team’s leading receiver last season, has been rehabbing a lower-body injury off to the side and is expected back soon. Junior Adrian Flemming injured his left foot during Saturday’s scrimmage at Fort Drum, and the extent of the damage is still being determined.

The fourth absence was unexpected, as sophomore Jarrod West (6-foot-2, 207 pounds) played the entire scrimmage and seemed fine afterward. Coach Doug Marrone said West simply needed a day off. Marrone did the same thing a year ago, sending veterans to the sideline when he sensed they were fatigued. This is the first time it has happened in this camp, which began Aug. 6 and has not had an off day yet on the schedule.

“I made that decision after watching the scrimmage Saturday,” Marrone said. “Jarrod’s been the type of player who always goes 110 percent. And we had this problem before where we get very excited about Jarrod and then all of a sudden he doesn’t come out of his cuts fast enough. He’s not going to take himself out. He’s not going to tell us he’s tired, but that’s what the film is showing. So all we’ve done is make sure we’re going to manage him.”

West, who caught 16 passes for 151 yards (9.4 yards per reception) and one touchdown last season, entered camp on fire and appeared to be soaring up the depth chart. He caught six passes Saturday, mostly on short possession-type passes. Earlier in camp he and displayed the ability to get open deeper..

“He’s someone we have to manage to make sure he’s ready,” Marrone said, “because early on in camp he did a very, very good job. What we don’t want to do is wear him down. We want to make sure we’re doing our part, because he’s doing his. Now it’s our responsibility to manage him.”